WawonaNews.com - June 2013

All burning suspended

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit (MMU) has announced as of Tuesday June 11, 2013 all burning has been suspended in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) of Mariposa County.

The burn suspension is necessary due to the lack of rainfall and higher than normal temperatures the area has experienced. California lends itself to severe wildfire conditions year round with its unique climate and topography, but this year fire fighters are experiencing historic low fuel moistures, and have moved into peak fire season condition earlier than predicted. The chance of large and damaging fires exists throughout California.

Yosemite Fire - Update #3 – June 4, 2013

Forbidden (37 45.485 x -119 37.116; 7,400” el., Mariposa CO.) This lightning caused fire was called in by employees and visitors observing smoke on May 21. The fire is west of the Eagle Peak Meadow and Creek, a tributary of Yosemite Creek, and north of Eagle Peak, on the north rim of Yosemite Valley. The fire is approximately at five acres, and smoldering through surface fuels and duff in a red fir forest. Some parts of the fire have been observed with 6-12 inch flame lengths. A single tree was struck by lightning. Smoke is visible from various locations in the park, including Tioga Rd, Sentinel Dome and Glacier Point. Fire managers are working with Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District concerning air quality impacts to nearby smoke sensitive areas. Yosemite fire crews will be hiking into the fire area to continue monitor fire growth and to improve the north rim trail system near Eagle Peak Meadows, and utilize natural barriers to check the fire spread to the south. They will continue to scout for a week and determine the fire’s potential growth and spread direction, measure fuel moisture, and monitor fire behavior and smoke production. The Forbidden Fire meets the park’s fire management objectives of firefighter and the public safety, as the fire presents few risks to values. The fire poses no threat to park service buildings, roads or infrastructure. When appropriate, fire crews will utilize pack stock for logistical support on this fire in an effort to preserve wilderness character. The fire was named for the Forbidden Wall along the Yosemite Falls trail. For additional information:

A California Highway Patrol helicopter, H-40, and the park’s helicopter, Helicopter 551, assisted in the incident by inserting Park Rangers and rescue equipment onto the wall and hoisting the victim to Yosemite Valley.

Park Rangers rappelled the route with Kiernan's partner and the second climbing party.

California man on church trip washes away over Nevada Fall

By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News

A 19-year-old California man was still missing late Sunday, a day after he was swept over a waterfall while swimming in Yosemite National Park.Aleh Kalman of Sacramento was swimming in the Merced River during a church trip about 3 p.m. Saturday (6 p.m. ET) when he was washed away down the 600-foot Nevada Fall, park officials told NBC station KCRA of Sacramento. Search teams and helicopters combed the area for Kalman until darkness fell and resumed their effort Sunday. Kalman's family said it preferred not to comment to preserve its privacy. Other members of the Second Slavic Baptist Church in North Highlands, which serves a congregation of immigrants from Russia and other former Soviet republics, cried during Sunday services at the presumed loss of the teen they called upbeat and "a good guy.""I feel bad; everybody feel bad," Oksana Naumets told KCRA. "Everybody pray today."Denis Koleukhov, who also belongs to the church, said the group regularly went on trips to Yosemite, and "they didn't think anything bad would happen."

If you have eaten any of the products, you may have been exposed to Hepatitis A. There is a vaccine to prevent Hepatitis A if you have eaten the product within the last two weeks. Contact your Healthcare Provider for further evaluation or the Mariposa County Health Department at 209-966-3689 / 800-459-4466.

DO NOT CONSUME THE PRODUCT

Wawona Fire News

In the next few days, many residents will be receiving in the mail a Fire Hazard Abatement Checklist. It is a reminder to begin or complete hazardous fuel reductions near your home. It is good to see the large needle piles accumulating on the road sides in anticipation of the needle pick-up the week of June 3. Property inspections within the park will begin in mid-June. Yosemite fire managers declared the start of the fire season on May 20, and all residential pile burning is to be curtailed. Park seasonal firefighters are completing readiness and preparedness training. Helicopter 551 is on the park, stationed at Crane Flat, and has already responded to on and off park fire assignments. The Northwest Burn is in patrol status. Periodically smoke will occur on warm days from hot ash in the interior of the burn. It is being monitored. Although it is still spring, California has already experienced large acre fires, with loss of property. Due to two years of historically low precipitation, fire season is here early and the threat of unwanted wildfire will remain high throughout the summer. As a reminder, 95% of all fires are human caused. When residents of a fire prone community clear brush, limb trees and remove dead trees and other flammable materials away from their homes, it helps keep residents and firefighters safe. Whether you live within the park or within adjacent communities, please take a few minutes and think about fire prevention; it could save your home and your life. For further information please contact Don Coffman, Yosemite Fire Marshal, (379-1444); or Gary Wuchner, Fire Education and Information Manager (375-9574).

National Parks Budgets Sink as Costs Grow

Heading to the Grand Canyon this summer? You may be in for a long wait in your car at the entrance gate. As Americans start planning their summer holidays, vacationers should prepare for long lines, shorter visitors' center hours, locked restrooms and overflowing trash cans, all thanks to federal budget cuts. Say goodbye to ranger-guided walks through awe inspiring sequoias of the Mariposa Grove at California's Yosemite National Park. They've been canceled this year, at least until September. North Carolina's Blue Ridge Parkway is closing some 400 campsites. Hawaii's USS Arizona Memorial, honoring Marines killed at Pearl Harbor, is now starting its last public tour two hours earlier, at 1 p.m. At the Everglades National Park in Florida, there will be fewer nature programs at the Shark Valley Visitor Center and campgrounds will only be cleaned once a day, instead of twice. "Visitors will have to plan ahead more than they might normally have to," said John Garder of the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy group for the parks. "Call ahead and make sure your campground (and its facilities) is going to be open." Forced spending cuts are shaving $85 billion from the federal budget. It includes $183 million from the National Parks Service, which runs 401 national parks, memorials, lakeshores, parkways and historic sites. In 2012, 283 million people visited these parks. The National Parks has furloughed 760 officers of the U.S. Parks Police, that patrol monuments on the National Mall in Washington and federal parks in New York and San Francisco. They're taking 14 days of unpaid time off -- a day out of every two weeks -- from late April through September. The parks have managed to avoid furloughs for other employees. Like most federal agencies, the National Park Service has already weathered a longtime hiring freeze. This year, there are 900 fewer full time staffers, including biologists and clean water specialists, Garder said. With a mandate to trim 5% of its budget by September, it is hiring 1,000 fewer seasonal employees, like additional park rangers that help out during the busy summer travel season. Related: Public defender hard at work on furlough week Other changes are being considered -- summer evening hours may be trimmed at the National Mall in Washington, since there will be fewer park officers to keep it safe at night, Garder said. During the National Cherry Blossom Festival in April, Parks Director Jonathan Jarvis said he noticed "trash cans overfilled and fewer rangers than was normal," at a House hearing on budget cuts last month. At Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park, spring break visitors faced longer lines at entrance gates, because the park couldn't deploy extra manpower during a busy period like it usually does. The waits will likely get much worse in the summer, said spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge. The Grand Canyon gets 4.5 million visitors a year. The park had to cut 6 seasonal workers and operate with fewer staff members because positions went unfilled, Oltrogge said. Visitor center hours will be cut by two hours each day, and bathrooms may not be cleaned for longer periods of time. Hikers and campers seeking permits should also expect longer wait times, she said. Related: Lawmaker: Seniors should pay more for national parks "We hope that visitors are not impacted by those cuts, but you can't cut well over a million dollars from a park this size without feeling and noticing that," Oltrogge said. One national park was able to forgo some of its spending cuts with community help. To meet its 5% budget cut, Yellowstone National Park delayed snow plowing at several roads leading into the park by a few weeks. The chambers of commerce in Cody and Jackson, Wyo., raised $170,000 to pay to plow the parts of the roads leading from their towns. Park advocates praised the move but warn that private fundraising is not a long-term or viable solution at other places. After all, Jackson Hole has the reputation as a playground for the rich and famous, with homes owned by movie stars and billionaires, such as heirs to the Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) fortune. "While that's a generous thing for these partners to do, it's not sustainable," said retired park service superintendent Joan Anzelmo, spokeswoman for the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees. "What's going to happen next year? If these cuts continue over the long term, we're in real trouble."

New rates for pick up items

This spread sheet shows in the left column what the new rate increase will be from Total Waste and projecting the cost out over a number of years using the CPI of 2.5%. If the community wants to continue with the annual needle pick up, that cost is $7.00 per quarter and includes cost increases with a CPI of 2.5%. There is a column for the large bulk items that if the community wants to continue will cost $1.50 per quarter and will increase with a 2.55 CPA also. The last column is if the community wants all the current services: trash, needles and Bulk items, the total cost per quarter will be $86.50 next year. The numbers in the right column also show price increases based on a CPI of 2.5%.We would like to start this beginning next fiscal year so the community will need to give us input on their wishes soon.

Yosemite Park opens fire season

The 2013 Fire Season in Yosemite National Park will begin on Monday, May 20. Fire season officially begins when seasonal firefighting equipment and personnel are in place, prepared and ready to respond. Additionally, grasses and other vegetation at the lower elevations have begun to dry out. This year, vegetation is drying out faster than average due to the low snowpack the park received over the last two winter seasons, making for fire danger above average for this time of year. The Park is currently transitioning to fire season preparedness and fire resources will be available seven days per week for suppression efforts within the park. In park fire resources for the season include: Yosemite fire manager, four Type 3 wildland engines, one helicopter, and one hand crew. In preparation for the fire season, the Park will begin defensible space inspections throughout Yosemite’s communities, including Aspen Valley, Hodgdon Meadows, Foresta, El Portal, Yosemite Valley, and Wawona starting on Monday, June 10. Residents and homeowners are urged to clear a defensible space of 100 feet around homes and other structures in an effort to reduce the risk of fire hazards. With the official declaration of fire season, pile burning will be discontinued until further notice. The fire potential is elevated statewide and has moved peak fire season conditions earlier than predicted. Yosemite National Park urges local residents and visitors to “Please be Fire Safe,” when residing and visiting the park and other public lands. Special attention should be given when departing campgrounds, backcountry camping sites, and picnic areas to make sure all campfires have been appropriately doused with water. For more information about fire in Yosemite National Park, please visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/firemanagement.htm.

2013 Wawona Pine Needle Pick Up June 3—June 7

1. Place materials adjacent to roadways so they can be accessed easily with front loaders 2. Material must be in place PRIOR to event week 3. Only vegetation material will be picked up. No household garbage, construction materials or large/longer than 3 feet branches, please. 4.Only one pile per property, and it should be placed away from trees or other obstructions so that the loader can pick up the material. If your needle pile is between or against trees/rocks, it will necessitate hand loading the material into the loader or dump truck, slowing down the process and unnecessarily delaying the pickup of needle piles for the total community of Wawona. 5.We have the County services for one week only. 6. Yosemite National Park, DNC & UC Merced properties are not included in the pick-up. 7. If your address is on an out-of-the-way street or you have any questions, you can call or e-mail Greg Ollivier, Solid Waste Manager, 209-966-5165 or his cell 209-742-3263, gollivier@mariposacounty.org. That way your pile won’t be missed. This helps the County staff serve as many as possible during the time allotted.